2D Comics Festival
The 2D Comics Festival is an annual event held since 2007 at the Verbal Arts Centre and Sandino's bar, Derry, organised by David Campbell, artist in residence at the Verbal Arts Centre. It grew out of the Centre's use of comics workshops to promote literacy among young males. The festival has always followed the same pattern: workshops for local schools at the Verbal Arts Centre on Thursday and Friday, panel discussions at Sandinos on Friday evening, an open day at the Verbal Arts Centre on Saturday, including artists signing, sketching and selling their wares, portfolio reviews and other activities, and more panels at Sandinos on Saturday evening. All events are free. 2007 The first festival was held from 19 to 21 April 2007 featured comic art masterclasses with Beano artist Kev F. Sutherland and an art exhibition on Thursday, and workshops on character design and working from a script on Friday. Friday night's panels were on getting started in comics and working on licenced characters/properties, and Saturday night's panels were on the state of the industry and comic-based movies, with a final "party panel". Guests from the UK included Charlie Adlard, Garry Leach, Kev F. Sutherland, Simon Furman and Mike Collins, and Irish creators were represented by John McCrea, Will Simpson, P. J. Holden and Rufus Dayglo. Media *"Plans underway for Derry's 'genuinely unique comic event'", Derry Journal, 17 October 2007 Blogs *P. J. Holden *Simon Furman *Bugpowder *Pádraig Ó Méalóid 2008 The second 2D Festival took place from 5 to 7 June 2008. No information available on Thursday's workshops, but Friday afternoon saw an all-star making comics workshop for over-16s with David Hine, Jock, Garry Leach, Rufus Dayglo and Laura Howell. Friday's panels were on breaking into comics and heroes, in which guests Jock, David Hine, Garry Leach, Rufus Dayglo and others discussed their influences. Workshops were held on Saturday alongside the open day, including one for 8s and up on how to draw cartoons with Mark Stafford from the London cartoon museum, and creating manga art with Ed Hillyer. Garry Leach and Simon Furman also held a portfolio review session. Saturday panels were on the small press, hosted by Bridgeen Gillespie, and "the rise and rise of comics", hosted by Simon Furman, with Jock, Charlie Adlard, Alan Martin and others. UK guests included Jock, Charlie Adlard, Garry Leach, David Hine, Alan Martin, Ed Hillyer, Laura Howell, Simon Furman and Mark Stafford, and Irish pro guests included Rufus Dayglo. Stephen Mooney, Stephen Thompson, Nick Roche, Bob Byrne and Declan Shalvey. There was an increased small press presence, with exhibitors including Bridgeen Gillespie, Alan Nolan, Damien Flood, Shane Chebsey, Accent UK, the Derry Manga Society, Havoc 21, Longstone Comics, Stephen Downey, Scar Comics, Archie Templar, the 2D Collective, Patrick Lynch and Katie Blackwood, Zenpop, Philip Barrett, Semiotic Cohesion, Replay Games, Ace Comics and Berserker Comics. Media *"2D–Northern Ireland Comics Festival 2008", Londonderry Sentinel, 21 May 2008 *"FREE goodie bags at 2D Comics Festival", Derry Journal, 4 June 2008 *"Going comic book crazy in Derry", BBC, 7 June 2008 *"Derry does itself proud at '2D'", Derry Journal, 9 June 2008 Blogs *Patrick Lynch | Patrick Brown | Shane Chebsey | Simon Furman | Rufus Dayglo | Bridgeen Gillespie | David Maybury | Forbidden Planet | Bugpowder | Pádraig Ó Méalóid 2009 The third 2D Festival was held on 4-6 June 2009. Guests from the UK included Bryan Talbot, David Lloyd, D'Israeli, Glenn Fabry, Liam Sharp, Simon Furman, Garry Leach, David Hine, Mike Collins and Andie Tong, and Irish guests included Rufus Dayglo, Declan Shalvey, Philip Barrett, Bridgeen Gillespie, Will Simpson, Nick Roche, Stephen Mooney, Will Sliney and Stephen Downey. There doesn't appear to have been any Thursday events, but there was an all-star comic workshop for local teenagers on Friday afternoon. Friday night panels were on the state of comic art and homegrown heroes with the Eclectic Micks. Alongside the open day on Saturday, Bryan Talbot gave a preview of his graphic novel Grandeville, and David Lloyd took part in an interview on his career. Sketching had a theme of monsters. Saturday night panels were a Q&A with David Lloyd, and "Burn Hollywood Burn". Video *Video report from CultureNI, featuring David Campbell, Philip Barrett and Gar Shanley *''Fractured Visions, video documentary by Craig Smith, including the 2D Comics Festival, Bridgeen Gillespie, Malachy Coney, Declan Shalvey and David Lloyd Media *"'Campaign for Drawing' event comes to Derry", ''Derry Journal, 21 May 2009 *"From V to 2D - 'V for Vendetta' artist gears up for Derry festival", Derry Journal, 10 June 2009 Blogs *Patrick Brown *Simon Furman *Declan Shalvey *Stephen Mooney *D'Israeli *Forbidden Planet *Down the Tubes Photos *D'Israeli (Flickr) 2010 thumb|400px|right The fourth 2D Festival was held on 3-5 June 2010. Guests included: *Pat Mills *Garry Leach *Leigh Gallagher *Philip Barrett *Bridgeen Gillespie *Gary Erskine *Colin MacNeil *Ilya *Will Simpson *Emma Vieceli *Nick Roche *Stephen Mooney *Davy Francis *Maeve Clancy *Glenn Fabry *Stephen Downey *Joe Campbell *2D Collective *Mark Stafford Media *"Derry hosting Comics Festival", Derry Journal, 10 June 2011 *"Roma's postcard does the biz for City of Culture", Derry Journal, 10 June 2011 *Alan Healy, Comics godfather touches down at 2D (interview with Pat Mills), Verbal Magazine, 14 July 2010 *Sunnyside Comics/Culture NI: text and video Blogs *Paul Mulgrew *Leigh Gallagher *Alltern8 - Andy Luke 2011 The fifth 2D Festival was held on 2-4 June 2011. Guests included legendary Judge Dredd artist Mick McMahon, DC Art Director Mark Chiarello, writer Denise Mina and artists Garry Northfield, Jim Medway, Garry Leach and Rufus Dayglo. Press *"Comic superheroes in town!", Derry Journal, 3 June 2011 *"The Comic Effect" Derry Journal, 10 June 2011 *"Star Wars comes to Derry Comics Fest", Derry Journal, 10 June 2011 *Verbal Magazine issue 36 : 2d Festival 2011 Preview Blogs *Rufus Dayglo *Hilary Lawler *Deirdre de Barra *Mark Chiarello *Riko *Jim Medway *Rob Davis *Wayne Simmons *Mick McMahon *Vicky Stonebridge *Down the Tubes *Forbidden Planet Photos *Vicky Stonebridge (Facebook) *Ciaran Flanagan (Facebook) *Naomi Bolger (Facebook) *Paul Rodgers (Facebook) External links *2D Comics Festival *Verbal Arts Centre Category:Events